- Ali
Starting out on a new healthy eating lifestyle can be overwhelming. What can you and can’t you eat? What’s supporting you to provide optimum nutrition and what’s better used as an occasional add-on to your diet?
It really can seem like a minefield but when you discover guilt free snacking it becomes simpler than you think.
This is not going to be full of complicated snacks obtainable only from the most high end health food stores. Remember I used to be just like you - I was a sugar and carb junkie with a penchant for crisps, and I mean jumbo bags of crisps! I discovered that if I could crowd out the foods that weren’t serving me, were depleting my energy and causing me boating and migraines, then I began to crave the foods that did serve me. Healthy wholefoods which were packed with nutrition, vitamins and minerals.
Let me share the snack ideas that have helped to keep me on track.
Nuts
I constantly have pre-soaked nuts in the fridge (pre-soaking helps nuts to release their enzymes making them more available to your body to digest). My favourites are almonds but this works with all nuts.
If I feel like I need a sweet hit, I’ll add a couple of natural Medjool dates or a piece of fruit to the nuts. The nuts (or other good fats) will slow down the speed which the fruit sugars hit your blood stream preventing you experiencing that dreaded crash 30 minutes after you’ve eaten. I love an apple with nut or seed butter.
A substitute for crisps
If like me you want the crunch of crisps for that mouthfeel then try substituting scrips for crunchy veg – celery with a sprinkling of celery salt and hummus, carrot batons, broccoli spears all work well. You get the crunch you are craving but you also get a whole host of vitamins and minerals lacking in deep fried, salted potato crisps. The blog has a number of hummus recipes from the classic plain hummus to spiced beetroot hummus and this delicious carrot and tahini hummus.
Oatcakes
Another favourite is my homemade oatcakes, here’s the recipe, with a topping of my choice. Nut or seed better works well - almond or pumpkin are my favourites and choosing different butters can help keep things interesting, hummus or bean pate are also good. And I’ve now discovered Meridian Yeast Extract an alternative to Marmite (a no no for me as it’s barley based so contains gluten). It does have a high salt content but as I spread it really thinly I’m only using a tiny amount and its delicious under peanut butter on a cracker.
Rice Cakes
Rice cakes are always an easy go-to snack too. I tend to have mine with turkey or avocado (a perfect blend of protein and good fats), or with a combination of avocado and cooked prawns – delicious!
Other super simple toppings are raw vegetables like broccoli, cucumber, carrots, celery and cauliflower and avocado served either on their own, or with home-made hummus or guacamole.
Protein balls
Making your own protein balls is a quick and nutritious way to have snacks on hand at any time. My blog has many of my favourite recipes and this season i’m addicted to these pumpkin energy balls. Home made bars and balls are really portable so travelling with a bag full of healthy, nutritious snacks is a possibility too! I even have clients who send me photos of their snacks on the plane or keeping the kids quiet on long car journey.
If you’re looking for something even easier - my favourite readymade snacks are the Arbonne protein bars. They come in Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate or Iced Lemon flavours – try them both and let me know which is your favourite. Eaten with a healthy protein shake they make a great lunch time meal too. I love the lemon one with a green apple and the chocolate one is delicious warmed in the microwave for 10 seconds and drizzled with almond butter and a blob of coconut yogurt for a pudding like treat.
The chocolate one is my daughter’s go-to snack especially now she’s at Uni. When you need a chocolate fix this really hits the mark. Add our favourite chocolate shake – a veritable Snickers in a glass - and you have a double chocolate feast. Food heaven! Link
Eggs
Even the supermarkets have tapped into the humble egg as a perfect source of protein snack. Taking a hard boiled egg and some vegetable sticks to the office or on a trip can really help to energise you and fill you up if lunch is still hours away.
Thirst
Finally don’t forget that sometimes when we think we’re hungry we’re actually thirsty and dehydration especially in air conditioned offices and central heating can be a real problem in the winter as much as warm weather can be in the summer. Ensure you always have a bottle or glass of water on your desk or in your bag and drink regularly. If I also need a energy boost I’ll add an Arbonne Energy Fizz Stick to my water. Packed with B vitamins, caffeine from Green Tea, which is packed with antioxidants, and Ginseng and Guana they’re a perfect pick me up and super portable coming in single sachet servings. Link This blog details the energy boosting properties of the ingredients. Buy them in boxes of 30 and always have one in your car, bag or office desk.
And for added hydration why not switch your regular caffeine for a herbal tea. Arbonne’s new Bio Hydria Hydrating tea, which complements their new hydrating skincare range, is a delicious antioxidant rich blend of chamomile, rosemary, and thyme
Remember, we all need some naturally occurring sugar in our diet. Our brain needs glucose to function, but snacking on fruit all day will simply send you into a tail spin of lethargy. The older or more sedentary we become (hence the crash when you are simply sitting at your desk) the harder it is for our bodies to cope with the breakdown of fructose (fruit sugar) which gives you that lethargic lull.
Make sure you’re snacking on a balanced diet of natural wholefoods like the ones I’ve suggested throughout the day to avoid un-metabolized fructose and keep your energy levels up.
If you have any questions about healthy snacking – get in touch and fire away!
